Illuminated sign.



L. H. MOISE.

I ILLUMINATED SIGN. APPLICATION FILED M119, 1910.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

INVENTOFF LIONEL I-I. MOISE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

ooasos.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

Application filed February 9, 1910. Serial No. 542,869.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LIONEL H. Moisn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Illuminated Signs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements made in illuminated signs of the kind or description in which each letter or symbol is illuminated and rendered legible at night by means of incandescent electric lamps, the letters being so formed as to serve all the purposes of a legible day sign.

The invention has as its objects to provide a letter of an ornamental and artistic appearance, as well as a high degree of legibility both by day and by night, when illuminated or when not illuminated, and to obtain the desired effects with a minimum number of electric lamps. These and other objects pertinent to the construction of these illuminated signs, I attain and secure in and by the novel parts and combination of parts as hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown the application of my invention to the production of the capital letter H, from the description of which a person familiar with the construction of illuminated signs will be able to apply the invention to the production of any other letter or character that may enter into the formation of a sign embodying the invention without further or special illustration of different letters or characters.

Figure l of the drawing represents the capital letter H of the form or style known as the block letter, the same showing a portion of the panel, or back-ground upon which the letteris mounted. Fig. 2 is a full front view ofthe same letter, showing,

the back face of the letter extended beyond the outline on one side and at the bottom to carry the shading. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the 'line 00w Fig. 2 showing the position of the electric lamps behind the face of the letter.

In a sign of this type'the lamps are employed solely as illuminating elements, and they do not enter into the formation of the letter as they do in other types of electrically illuminated signs, in which the lamps are arranged sometimes in open formation to produce the letter in outline, and sometimes in closer arrangement, forming a filled or solid letter.

A sign of the type to which these improvements relate is distinguished by having the letter raised above the. sign board or panel or standing away from it to a suflicient extent to allow the electric lamps to be arranged. behind the letter, to illuminate both the front face of the letter and also the back ground so that the letter is caused to stand out in relief.

The elevated face or body of the letter is made of opaque material, such as sheet metal, and being situated in front of the lamps, it acts to reflect the light onto the shading and the back-ground, and prevent the rays from interfering with those from the lamps of adjacent letters. In the elevated front face or body of the letter lenses inserted at intervals apart have the eflect to illuminate the face in clear outline from the lamps beneath. They also serve as a shade to confine the rays other than those which pass through the lenses to the shading and background in the immediate vicinityof the letter. A letter of this type will have an illuminated face and an illuminated. back ground, and by the use of contrasting colors on the front face of the letter and on the back that is neXt to the panel, a highly effective letter is obtained, both when 1illuminated by electric lights and by dayight.

By using translucent material for the face of the letters instead of opaque material, the lenses may be dispensed with, as the rays of light from the lamps will be diffused and the entire face of the letter illuminated. In either construction, however, the letter can be effectively illuminated by the use of comparatively few electric lamps. The surface of the body in front of the lamps is preferably painted white, and when the lenses are used itis preferable to use the translucent kind rather than the transparent kind. The panel on which the letter is mounted is preferably painted with some light absorbing color, such as black or dark green, and the shading of the letter on the back-ground is usually of an intermediate color, such as red, and is arranged in its usual position to one side of the letter. The effect of these colors when the letter is illuminated at night is to cause the face of the letter to stand outboldly and have the appearance of a block letter; the front face and the shading being highly illuminated by the same lamps.

In an illuminated sign letter of my invention the element or part B forming the front face 2 of the letter is preferably made of sheet metal. It is painted a light color to increase the reflecting qualities. hen formed of brass or white metal it may be left unpainted. In such case it is of advantage to give the metal a dull finish so that the light rays falling thereon will rather be refracted and diffused in all directions than reflected in one direction. This feature is of advantage during the day when the sun is shining on the sign, as it prevents the direct reflection from dazzling the eyes of the observer and thus rendering the letter illegible.

The various letters forming the sign are attached to the panel or back-ground A which not only acts as a support for the letters, but forms a shield to cut off all light coming from behind the sign, due to other signs and lights in the vicinity. The face of this panel is preferably painted a dark color, contrasting with the colors of the face of the letter and with the back that carries the shading, with the effect to produce a sign in which the faces of the letters and the shading are visible at night for a considerable distance.

The edges 4 of the body B are turned down at rightangles to the face to produce a more rigid letter, these turned down edges also act to confine the rays within the borders of the letter to some extent. here several letters are arranged adjacent to each other to form a sign, whatever light escapes laterally from one letter passes behind the front face of the adjacent letters and renders the illumination thereof more effective. The only light seen by the observer is refracted through the lenses and from the face of the letter or reflected from the shading, thus obviating high lights which are caused by the rays passing directly from the sources of light to the eye of the observer.

Removably fixed in close relation in the face 2 of the letter, are the lenses 5, placed along the various elements of the letter and set so as to conform to the general characteristics thereof. These lenses 5 are preferably circular in form and of some translucent material, such as porcelain. By the use of translucent lenses the electric lamps are not visible to the observer, and on account of the refraction of the rays a relatively few electric lamps spaced apart can be used to advantage to produce an even intensity of illumination of all of the lenses. The lenses are also preferably formed convex, with the greater portion projecting above the front face of the letter, thereby illuminating the front face with an intensity almost equal to that of the lenses. Therefore, when the lamps are burning the entire front face of the letter is evenly illuminated by refracted light, producing a letter which is legible ata great distance at night; and by daylight, neither the lamps nor the lenses interfere with the outlines of the letter, which stands out in bold relief from the panel.

The lens and the front face of the letter are preferably of the same color to produce a letter having an equal intensity of illumination at all points of its face. 1

When itis desirable to form the lenses of a transparent material it is necessary to place the electric lamps in such close order that a lamp will occur under each lens. By this method an equal. illumination of all of the lenses will be obtained, but I prefer to use the translucent lenses, because with their use the entire front face of the letter is evenly illuminated. The remaining elements of the letter composing the shading 6 may be painted or otherwise delineated on the face of the panel, or they may be formed of sheet metal and attached to the front face of the letter. The letter herein shown is formed in this manner by painting the shading 6 on the sheet metal back 7, thereby forming each letter complete in itself and independent of the panel. The front face of the letter is supported by posts or strips of metal 8 situated at intervals apart around the margin of the letter and fixed to or into the back plate 7 in sufficient numbers to insure a stiff and rigid fastening against wind pressure and other forces, to which the skeleton frame constituting the letter may be exposed in the complete sign or structure. This attaching means may be formed integral with the element B or the back plate 7, by cutting out portions at intervals along the edge, so as to leave posts or strips for attaching it to the other elements, or the posts may be formed separately and soldered or otherwise fixed to the various members. That part 12 of the back plate 7 which occurs directly behind the front'face of the letter is painted a dark color, capable of absorbing light and being in contrast to the colors of the face and the shading, so that at night, when the lamps are burning, only the .front face and the shading will be visible.

Below the surface and within the darkened portion 12 of the letter the sockets 13 provided for the electric lamps 14: are arranged in open order and are wired or connected in the usual manner at the back of the panel. The details of these connections are not represented in the drawings and are not described, for the reason that the manner of wiring the sign to connect all the lamps of each letter and of all the groups composing the sign does not differ from other signs of the same type, and can be carried out by those familiar with the manufacture of electrically illuminated signs Without special explanation.

Another feature of advantage which is quite an important feature in an outdoor sign in situations where it is exposed to all kinds of weather is what may be termed the self cleaning qualities of the letter, by virtue of which dust, dirt, snow or moisture cannot lodge at any point and interfere with the efficiency of the sign.

Each letter as thus constructed forms a unit complete in itself, and ready to be mounted or fixed on a panel or board of a proper length to form the sign.

I claim 1. In an electrically illuminated sign, a skeleton letter comprising a letter body composed of a fiat plate having the outline of the letter and provided with a depending flange to serve to deflect part of the light onto the rear face of the plate, said plate being provided with openings fitted with lenses, a back-plate of larger superficial dimensions than the letter body and to which the letter is fixed so as to stand away from the face of the plate, the said back-plate being constructed to form a shading on one side of the elements of the letter, and illuminating means in the space between the letter body and the back plate and by Virtue of such position adapted to illuminate the lenses of the letter body and the back plate behind it.

2. In anilluminated sign, a back-plate on which is delineated a letter and the shading 35 thereto, the shading being arranged adjacent to two adjacent sides of the elements of the letter, a letter body comprising a plate forming elements of a duplicate letter and provided with light transmitting portions, said letter body being secured to the back plate and arranged to stand clear of the back plate in line with the letter delineated thereon, and illuminating means between the letter body and the back plate arranged to illuminate the front face of the letter body and the shading on the back plate.

LIONEL H. MOISE. Witnesses E. A. PYLE, E. E. OsBoRN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

